Current Affairs

April 17, 2017

I was recently contacted by some folks who talked about traveling with our pets...perhaps to BlogPaws, but I can't share it because it came from United. Sigh. I mean, I wouldn't fly United, would you?

Still, the 2017 conference is only 29 days off, according to my calculations. I know we're (they? it's hard to remember I'm 'retired' from BlogPaws!) are anticipating a record number of pets in attendance. Not only dogs and cats - folks bring pet guinea pigs, rats, pigs, even capybaras. Did I spell that right?

When I think of all the amazing animals that will be at the BlogPaws conference this year, and all of the amazing pets we've had in years past, I'm proud that the brand continues to support pet-friendly in its work. We always said our conferences would allow pets. We did it not only because pets just make life better, we did it because we know how hard it is to be separated from your sweet dog or cat or ferret or whatever, for four or five days at a time. Not to mention the cost of pet sitting - or even kenneling. There are some awesome kennels out there for pets that can't come to the event.

Regardless, I feel strongly about the human-animal bond and it's a major part of why the BlogPaws brand is out there. The reality isn't that three or four people put their heads together and decided to support the human-animal bond, but...that is what happened. Yes, we thought about it, but maybe not as out loud as folks think. Our biggest goal was supported pet parents who blog. These are the awesome folks who share advice, stories, and recommendations on blogs, about pets. These are folks who live the concept of the human-animal bond.

March 14, 2017

Well, that is true for our pets, also. And, from the perspective of this pet Mom, it also influences the human-animal bond. After all, we are tasked with taking the best care of our pets as possible! I know others think it can't compare to caring for 'two-legged' kids, but having done both, I will say it's very similar.

Back in those ancient days of my youth, we thought taking care of our pets meant feeding them store bought pet food, table scraps, and the occasional treat. We took our dogs to the vet once a year for vaccinations and a physical. If the pet had an issue in-between those yearly visits, we agonized over whether it was necessary to take the pet to the veterinarian. After all, you don't run to the Dr every time your kid gets a scrapped knee, do you?

This post is sponsored by Nutri-Vet and the BlogPaws Pet Influencer Network. I am being compensated to help share Nutri-Vet products but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Nutri-Vet is not responsible for the content of this article.

Today, thankfully, life is very different for pets. I'm so happy to have amazing brand like Nutri-Vet spending time really understanding the health of our cats and dogs, and developing products to keep those pets healthy as they grow and age.

Recently we lost a precious girl to 'old age'. We think she aged faster than she should have, and much of that was because of her early life being a puppy mill Mom. But, when she came to live with us, we did look at how we could make her life better, not just with lots of love and attention, but with supplements. After all, we take supplements and we knew the value of things like chondroitin and glucosamine. Looking online and talking with our vet assured us that yes, our dogs and our cat could benefit from using supplements.

Enter NutriVet, a brand with a focus on good health, and providing tasty chewables that would give our pets the right support, especially for healthy joints and healthy bones. Can you say AWESOME!

As I delve more and more into the human-animal bond, I realize the true importance of good health and how vital it is for brands like Nutri-Vet to be on my shelf. But, not only that, I don't want to give the impression that we pet parents can just grab any old chewable off the grocery store shelf and assume it will do the job. You have to look at ingredients. You have to understand how these supplements work on your dog or cat. You have to trust the brand that is offering them. It goes to understanding the need for good health. For making sure your dog or cat will live a long and healthy life. For me, it means good joint support. Trust me, I know how painful joints can be as you age!

We're using the Nutri-Vet Hip & Joint regular strength right now. We did receive a free sample for Emily. I'm impressed! Emily is a fussy fussy girl. But she loves her Nutri-Vet chewables. And, it's only been a month (just under, I guess) so I can't say 'oh wow what a difference!' but I can say I am confident that this is an important part of Emily's good health program now. By the way, so is my vet. They recommend supplements.

It's time to get another bottle. I think we'll stay with the regular strength for now. Emily is still young.

No supplements for kitty, right now. She's dealing with possible pancreatitis and we are struggling just to keep food down her belly. But, were she healthy, I'd definitely be giving her supplements, also.

I know this - the human-animal bond is about more than the love we feel for each other, we humans and our pets. It's a trust, a connection, a sincere belief in the value of sharing love, even without words. And, it's important to build good health into that. Our pets depend on us for good health.

I recommend the Nutri-Vet newsletter for information. You can also receive exclusive offers, coupons, and sales alerts, if you sign up. If you're on Facebook, and who isn't? Check out the Nutri-Vet Facebook page, too! This is a community that is fun, informative, and supportive of dogs and cats - and they do giveaways! Pawsome!

ONE more thing... you can WIN a bottle of the Hip&Joint Regular Strength: 500 mg of glucosamine, 100 mg chondroitin and vitamin C and 10 mg MSM to help maintain healthy canine joint function and connective tissue. Emily loves the taste so I bet your dog will, too! Just share a comment below about your pet's health, and we'll do a random draw on March 24th.

This has been extended to March 31st! W00t! I like to give folks a chance. Good stuff! Enter now! THIS CONTEST IS OVER!

You know that I'm right. Health and welfare go together. Supplements are a benefit to all of us, two-legged and four-legged. It's about love, it's about care, and it's about embracing the truth about the human-animal bond: that without it, we are lesser creatures of the world.

Don't forget to leave your comment below...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nutri-Vet. The opinions and text are all mine.

March 04, 2017

We pet people wake up to unconditional love every single day. The glad of it all is in the wonder we see in our dog's eyes, the trust our cat gives us, the cuddles and laughter from all those other pets that show people why life is worth living. It's worth living to be a part of something greater than you - the care of these amazing, trusting, loving creatures we share our lives with.

Who agrees?

Once upon a time, humans did not know love or empathy or the kind of trust you get from a pet. Today, we know the glad of it all...we embrace it daily.

I read a great article this week called "Veterinary Teams - Show Your Empathy". It was written by Debbie Boone, who is a veterinary consultant. (I'm not sure what that is... has anyone else heard of this career path?) Her post was an eye-opener. She discussed the need for veterinary practices to treat the humans along with the pets. In her case, it was mostly dogs, I think. She showed a lovely photo of a dog and a human holding hands/paws.

I love this sentence in her post:

Ignorance is not a crime – lack of empathy for our fellow humans should be. Learn to TEACH not JUDGE.

It's so easy to be us, isn't it? We shower our animals with the proper care and respect, and love. Lots of love. We believe the love us back. We rage against those who do otherwise. Some of us rage against those who feed their pets grocery store food. Or, who don't notice distress or injury in their animal immediately.

February 06, 2017

Emily peers over the edge of the stairs. "When is it time for my walk?" she says.

This blog is about the human-animal bond and I sometimes slide into humor or reporting on the pet industry, because it's all good. Everything related to pets and animals the world over is, in my <brazen> opinion, relevant to the human animal bond. All we do and all we are is inclusive of the presence of animals, particularly pets, in our lives.

A week or so ago a report came into my inbox stating, "New Study: Pet Industry is Economic Powerhouse".

This, to my thinking, is not news. Who doesn't/didn't know this? Raise your hand. I won't call on you.

The pet industry generated more than $221 billion in direct, indirect and induced economic impact, according to a new study conducted by George Mason University and released today at the Pet Industry Leadership Conference in Laguna Beach, California. The economic analysis also showed the pet industry supported over 1.3 million U.S. jobs in 2015 that paid more than $60 billion in salaries, wages and benefits.

I'm sharing it here because it plays into the need for better recognition of all we do for the economy, we pet parents. Our love for our pets, our bond with our pets, inspires us to spend the money, to search for employment that brings us in close contact with other pets (and animals we might not be around a whole lot, thinking of reptiles and birds; so many of us keep to the traditional dog or cat in our homes). In fact, the report goes on to say,

According to this report, consumers spend over $77 billion on their pets annually. Pet food and veterinary services are the two leading sources of spending within the industry. Other sectors considered in the study include manufacturing of pet supplies and toys, pet pharmaceuticals, grooming, boarding and other services, wholesale and retail trade involving pet products, and the emerging pet health insurance industry.

January 28, 2017

How do I love thee...let me count the ways. So begins an age-old poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She speaks of deep abiding love. Her words are full of passion and desire. She is most often quoted on Valentine's Day, I think.

And she is speaking of a man's love for a woman, or vice-versa. Human love. Person to person.

I am speaking of the love our pets feel for us - as demonstrated in this amazing story from Psychology Today. I am speaking of a bond of love that transcends anything humans can conceive of. We are so limited in our desires and warmth. Oh, I have experienced deep love more than once and more than once it has come back to bite me in the...well, to break my heart without remorse. Let's just say that.

We humans are so flawed, are we not?

Animals are not like that. Animals offer unconditional love. Our dogs and cats, and many other pets, become trophies for us, too often. When, in their hearts, we are the sun and moon and stars.

January 11, 2017

We are creatures of habit, we human beings. We crave routine, even those of us who are wild and crazy, who never do the same thing twice, or make it a point to drive to work a different way every day. We still have that - get up, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, go to work, do the work, have lunch, chat with friends, drive home routine. Or, if you work at home as I do, you develop your own schedule, but you still eat breakfast before noon, and lunch is sometime before 3pm. After that it's not lunch anymore. It might be dinner, but dinner is usually between 5-8.

Our pets are ever more the creatures of habit. They follow us in our regular routine and learn to expect breakfast at a certain time, their walk at a certain time, dinner and then bedtime, all within the confines of their sense of time. Our pets need that kind of certainty. They need to know we will care for them on a regular, daily basis.

The human animal bond involves more than comforting each other in times of stress. Our Emily has been quite lost and confused with Olive gone. She is slowly acclimating herself to the status of "only dog". We are not ready to bring another bark-bark into the house just yet. Emily and Molly, the cat, are okay together, but I do not believe they will bond the way Emily and Olive did. We'll see.

The real bond here, now, is between Emily and us, Tom and myself. She craves that attention. She loves having her ears rubbed, her whole body massaged, every morning. She knows where the various dog beds are and has her favorites for certain times of the day. She is always eager for dinner time as we spoil her with bits of turkey burgers, when we have our food. It was a favorite of Olive's also. Our thoughts was that our people food isn't really good for the pets, but little bits of turkey burger merely adds protein to their diet. Yes, we can justify almost anything, if given time and reason for it.

January 07, 2017

She was so tiny and so energetic, that first day she came to our house. She was a visitor. She came with a friend who was fostering her.

"Oh yes," we said, "bring your foster. We don't mind another dog around for dinner."

It was just a dinner date with friends. A meal and some wine. Lots of laughter and conversation, watching our dogs, Emily and Chester, play with the foster girl, Olive, and our friend's Boston Terrier, Bill. Summertime in Colorado, with fine weather, a green backyard, and a gentle setting sun blanketing all in its rosy glow.

Olive moved in that day. She jumped up on Tom's lap and settled in for a snooze, not long after dinner. She was accepted by the big dogs, perhaps a bit reluctantly at first, but with real sincerity as the night went on. This, she had decided, was home. And so it became home for her. She joined our two other rescues and made a trio of it.

Oh the joy of little Olive.

This week we made our peace with this little girl. We allowed her to go to the Rainbow Bridge, and be with Chester. Oh, she loved Chester so much!

But, Emily was her dear. Emily was the mother she never had, perhaps. Or, the little one she never saw grow up. Olive was a puppy mill mama and as such, she suffered unspeakable neglect and torture...yes, it was torture, to force her to produce litter after litter, and then remove the little ones much too soon, every time! She came to us with an eye missing - from neglect. She came to us with her teeth so rotted, the vet removed 17 of them at one dental. She came to us a skinny girl of 5 years, looking every bit older than that!

BUT... she brought laughter, and silliness, and a short, sharp staccato bark only heard when following the big dogs around the backyard. If they barked, she barked. She loved her treats. We fattened her right up, and the lost eye, it never slowed her down!

Little Olive shadowed Emily constantly. Emily, to her credit, merely tolerated this for the first year, perhaps. Then, gradually, she accepted this little creature who wanted nothing more than to be with her, next to her, all about her. When our Chester left us, Emily grieved every bit as seriously as we did. A little of her joy was gone. She turned then to the little creature that had been dancing about her for so long, and accepted Olive wholeheartedly into her space and her heart. They became as one. It was a joy to behold.

Perhaps Chester nudged Emily along. We all felt his presence long after he was gone. Perhaps Emily, who craves a pack, a team, a group, was more willing to now enfold the little girl she had previously been annoyed with on a daily basis, into her world. The occasional snapping stopped. The look of "of go away" stopped. Instead, she curled up with Olive in the bed by the fireplace. Then was worried and concerned some nights when we were watching TV on the 'family' bed and - because nerve damage in Olive's back made it so difficult for her to lie down - I had to physically put her on the bed at night; grab her and gently (although it didn't seem gentle to Emily, I guess) turn her on her side to lie her down. While Emily watched carefully, as if to say, "Don't you hurt her!" As if!

Our world for the past year has been one of watching our Olive decline. As she became more blind, she began to bump into things, especially kitty, who was not gentle in her response. The hiss told Olive to back off, and she did. She became deaf. Only loud noises and clapping would get her attention. She could not eat anything crunchy, only soft foods. We cooked chicken for her, as treats. Tiny bits of chicken, which she loved. Her food was watered down to be easier to eat.

One never really knows if it's "time", does one? We speculate. We weigh all the options and odds and experiences. We waffle. And, at some point, when there is no other answer, we elect to do the most kind thing we can - we let them go.

Our house is so quiet now. No pitter patter of little feet wandering here and there. I don't feel her pausing by my chair, silently asking to be picked up for a bit. I know Emily is confused. She has taken to sleeping in Olive's bed... and coming up on our bed at night, with a long, hard look into my face, as if to say, "When is Olive coming home?"

We will all endure. And pictures of Olive will soothe us. The Rainbow Bridge grew a little this week, with Olive and so many other beloved pets. It must be a marvelous place, don't you think?

Their videos are among the best animal videos out there. I sincerely love them all! But this one, about pets fighting back against pet shaming, is truly hilarious! (don't we get messages across with humor so much better than with dry explanation?)

PAL is spreading the real joy of pet parenting (they say ownership but, hey, that's all right, some folks feel ownership is more appropriate; you and I, we prefer pet parenting, right?) across the web and I'm happy to help them.

Here's their latest video...enjoy. And share. Seriously, if we don't share, we don't accomplish anything. The human-animal bond requires sharing ...of fun videos like this one, and of great articles about how pets are important to the human condition, which you'll see more of on the blog, going forward. Oh, hop over to the PAL Facebook page, too! Good stuff there.

November 22, 2016

The world is full of two kinds of people. Those who appreciate animals. And those...who don't.

In my world, I trend heavily on the first side. Always have. Animals are so integral to our very existence, I am often dumbfounded by people who wave them off as if they are flies carrying disease, or a foul odor in the wind. The people who do that must live in a bubble.

My friends, and my family, understand the power of the human animal bond. It's become a calling card, in these days of political unrest. We are turning to those amazing creatures we share our homes with, for comfort and warmth. They know nothing of the trials and tribulations happening across a divided country. They know only that their lives are made better by being with the humans who care for them, and we should know our lives are made better by them.

Indeed, all manner of scientific research demonstrates how important these creatures are to our well-being. They help lower blood pressure. They keep us from depression. They save us from the terrors of war and abuse. They forgive our transgressions, again and again and again.

And those are just the ones who live with us.

There are others. The ones in the wild, who know little or nothing of us. The ones who are part of an ecosystem that exists to protect all life, not just ours...not just the lives of the millions, no, billions of two-legged creatures so intent on destroying the planet. Those animals are just as important as the ones we label "pets'. Those animals contribute to the ebb and flow of life throughout the entire world. Never believe that because so many of them live, exist, in countries separate from ours, that they do not have influence over what happens here - over our food and our air and our weather. They do! They are like those proverbial butterflies...whose flights of fancy create change a world away from where they are flitting about in some green meadow, perhaps hidden from the human eye.

May 27, 2016

guest blog by Nick Podrasky of Tessera Marketing and HoundAbout with comments offered in parens by yours truly, Yvonne DiVita

Storm season is here once again. (here in CO we're seeing floods, and possible fires when the rain isn't pouring down, and even high winds...all things that make our pets as anxious as we are!)

Rain storms, mud slides, flooding, and tornadoes regularly threaten much of the US. And no matter where you live, disasters both big and small, like a house fire, can strike at any time. As a pet owner, of course one of your first priorities will be the safety of your pet. But what if you’re not home, or can’t get home due to road closures or other hazards? (yikes! that's a scary thought but it's so so true, isn't it? Disaster often strikes when the 'hoomans' are not home.)

Many times, when these instances occur, kind neighbors or emergency personnel will attempt to rescue as many pets as they can. They can only do this if they know a pet is inside the home. (our neighbors know we have two dogs, but I wonder how many of them know we have a cat? she doesn't go out...she merely sits in the window during the day, wishing she could go out, I think... so, this is very true, folks! The fact that you have one kind of pet or another, may be lost on your neighbors and certainly rescue personnel can't know what kind of or how many animals you have, just by arriving at your house!)

I'm so honored!

Let's meet at BlogPaws!

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